Eric Smalley writes: "Processors include a small amount of cache memory, which reduces the number of times the processor has to fetch data from main memory, but Venray goes further. It puts the processor and main memory on the same chip. It’s called processor-in-memory, or PIM, and it’s not exactly a new idea. Fish and others have been pursuing the idea for decades. But its time may finally have come.

In today's world, biomedical research and other Big Data applications that juggle enormous amounts of information are butting up against that memory wall, and if we’re to achieve personalized medicine --" where we tailor drugs and other treatments to an analysis of an individual’s genetic makeup --" we need chips that can push through that wall."

Eric Smalley writes: "The world’s largest genome sequencing center once needed four days to analyze data describing a human genome. Now it needs just six hours. The trick is servers built with graphics chips — the sort of processors that were originally designed to draw images on your personal computer. They’re called graphics processing units, or GPUs — a term coined by chip giant Nvidia. This fall, BGI — a mega lab headquartered in Shenzhen, China — switched to servers that use GPUs built by Nvidia, and this slashed its genome analysis time by more than an order of magnitude."

Eric Smalley writes: "Imagine if you could cut and paste information among your smartphone, tablet, smart table, and big screen. Better yet, what if you could flick objects from one device to another? Software developer Nsquared has tied together a Windows Phone 7, Slate tablet, Microsoft Surface smart table, and Kinect-controlled big screen into one seamless computing experience."

Eric Smalley writes: "Mobile-browser maker Layar is about to make augmented reality all that you thought it could be. The company has added visual search to its augmented-reality browser. Point your phone's camera at an object in the real world and an appropriate digital activity will occur on your handset."

Eric Smalley writes: "Combine the words "vibrator," "touch," and "heightened sensitivity," and the subject is obvious, right? A tricked-out glove that heightens your sense of touch.

The glove, developed by Georgia Tech researchers, includes a tiny vibrator that sits on the side of your finger. Turn the vibrator so low that you don't quite notice it vibrating, and voila, your fingertip is more sensitive to touch."

Eric Smalley writes: "If you're like most people, you give yourself high ratings when it comes to figuring out when someone's trying to con you. Problem is, most people aren't actually good at it — at least as far as detecting fake positive consumer reviews. Fortunately, technology is poised to make up for this all-too-human failing. Cornell University researchers have developed software that they say can detect fake reviews."

Eric Smalley writes: "For the project, dubbed Backtalk, researchers sent refurbished Netbooks to developing countries via nonprofit organizations. They set up the computers to record location and pictures, and send the data home to MIT--with their new owners' consent... The MIT team used the data to build visual narratives about the computers' new lives."

Eric Smalley writes: "How many Zuckerbergs does it take to make a Google+? And how many of them can be fake or fleeting? In the past 24 hours, at least three profiles bearing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's name have appeared on Google+, Google's take on the social network: "Fake Zuckerberg," "Mark Zuckerberg" (started today), and "Mark Zuckerberg" (started yesterday)."

Eric Smalley writes: "The MicroPointing touchpad works by detecting the force your fingertip produces as it drags across the tiny device's three sensors, according to the company's patent application. The sensors are mounted on tiny posts spaced a few tenths of a millimeter apart--less than the size of a ridge on your fingertip."